Leigh Dispersal Charges Keeneland Opener

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis

The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale kicked off Monday in Lexington with a pair of half-sisters from the dispersal of the estate of the late Sarah Jane Leigh leading the way when selling to a determined Virginia Kraft Payson of Payson Stud. Payson purchased the 5-year-old mare Summer Solo (Arch) (hip 259) for a session-topping $700,000 and fought off a persistent Ted Voute just one hip later to secure that mare's 2-year-old half-sister Summer Sweet (More Than Ready) (hip 260) for $550,000.

Also from the Leigh dispersal, Payson paid the day's fourth-highest price when signing the ticket at $450,000 for an Arch filly out of Seeking Atlantis (Seeking the Gold) (hip 230).

Monday's third-highest lot, a yearling by War Front (hip 48), was also part of a dispersal. The bay colt was bred by the late Jerre Paxton's Northwest Farms and sold for $450,000 to Gatewood Bell's Cromwell Bloodstock.

“It's sad in some regards,” Keeneland's Director of Sales Geoffrey Russell said of the dispersal results. “It's the end of an era with the Leigh dispersal. Mr. [Gerald] Leigh was a great supporter of Keeneland and [daughter] Sarah was, too. So it's a fitting end. And the War Front colt was part of the Jerre Paxton Northwest Farm dispersal, which started in September and went through November. That's the end of an era, too. So while we are very happy that the market reacted favorably to the quality of the horses, it's sad to see the end of an era.”

Bolstered by the dispersals, Monday's first session of the Keeneland January sale boasted strong figures. In total, 182 horses sold for $13,631,200. The average was up 21.2% to $74,897 and the median rose 12.86% to $39,500. A year ago, 204 horses grossed $12,607,200 for an average of $61,800 and a median of $35,000. Top price during last year's opening session was $400,000 and 14 horses sold for $200,000 or over. Eighteen broke that mark Monday.

“The figures were very solid today,” Russell said. “We had five horses more than the top horse last year, bolstered by those three horses from the dispersal. Overall, it gets to be an old adage, but quality sells. If you bring the right product to market, you are fully rewarded. We saw that in 2015 and, in 2016, that has continued on. People are willing to spend good money on horses and pay top dollar for them if it seems to have some quality.”

Craig Bandoroff, whose Denali Stud consigned the horses in the Leigh dispersal, agreed buyers were being selective during Monday's bidding.

“It's very, very particular,” Bandoroff said. “The ones they want, you are going to get paid for. It's chicken or feathers, as the old saying goes. Fortunately, I had a few chickens today.”

Denali was the leading consignor by average, with 11 selling for $2,302,000 and an average of $209,273.

There were 89 horses reported not sold Monday for a buy-back rate of 32.84%. That figure was 33.11% last year.

Of the 358 horses catalogued for the session, 87 were withdrawn from the sale, but Russell would not say the high number of outs reflected concerns about the selectivity of the market.

“I think some of the outs come into factor because they are short yearlings who might not be ready and there is always the fallback of September [Yearling Sale],” Russell commented. “Also some people have told me that they sold well in November, so they didn't have to sell today, be they mares or short yearlings.”

The Keeneland January sale continues through Friday, with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Payson 'Pays' Big for Leigh Family Bloodlines

With just four broodmares in her band and one-horse in training, Virginia Kraft Payson, who bred champions Vindication (Seattle Slew) and Farda Amiga (Broad Brush) and raced the likes of homebred GISW Rutherienne (Pulpit), has been keeping a low profile in the racing world these days. The former Sports Illustrated writer jumped back into the horse racing spotlight in a big way at Monday's session of the Keeneland January sale when buying three horses from the Sarah Jane Leigh dispersal for a total of $1.7 million, including $700,000 session-topper Summer Solo (Arch).

“I raced against Gerald Leigh, Sarah's father, for years and I really wanted to have one of his families,” remarked Payson, who admitted to being a nervous wreck while bidding. “I haven't bid on a horse myself in years, probably 30 years. I have always had a friend of mine bid on the horse, but I didn't have anyone today and I kept going.”

Seated in the back of the pavilion, Payson started her buying spree with a determined winning bid of $450,000 to secure hip 230, an Arch filly out of Seeking Atlantis (Seeking the Gold). Leigh purchased the 10-year-old mare, who is out of MSW Atlantic Ocean (Stormy Atlantic), for $375,000 at the 2011 Keeneland November sale in hopes of developing her own family. Preceding her filly into the ring as hip 229, the dark bay, who sold in foal to Ghostzapper, brought $300,000 from Castleton Lyons.

“She will get to Stone Farm, to Arthur Hancock's, till she grows up,” Payson said of the Arch yearling. “I hope she grows up to be worth the price!”

The owner of Payson Park Training Center in Florida and Payson Park Stud in Kentucky added, “I knew the family and that is what I liked about her. I have four broodmares, but they are all the same bloodlines and I needed some diversification.”

Craig Bandoroff, whose Denali Stud consigned the six-head Leigh dispersal, was happy with the amount the filly brought.

“I knew the filly was going to sell well,” Bandoroff commented. “It was a very strong price. It's a testament to Sarah Jane and [her advisor] Dan [Rosenberg]. They bought Seeking Atlantis from the Evans dispersal. She said, 'This is one I can build on and have as a foundation mare.' Unfortunately, she wasn't here to carry it through. It was a very good price. I was a little worried Seeking Atlantis was going to slip through there, you know, with the cover date, but she picked back up. It was good.”

Payson was quick to return to her seat after speaking with the media about her new yearling because she had her eye on another Leigh horse, Summer Solo. Engaged in another round of feverish bidding, the determined horsewoman would not be denied, extending to $700,000 for the session-topping hip 259, who is in foal to Ghostzapper.

Before she could even sign the ticket on the 5-year-old mare, Payson engaged in another heated bidding war for the bay's 2-year-old half-sister Summer Sweet (More Than Ready). Bid spotter Pete McCormick marched up and down the aisle fueling the spirited back and forth between Payson and bloodstock agent Ted Voute, who was seated about 10 rows ahead of his rival bidder. Voute graciously bowed out when the persistent Payson brought the price up to $550,000 to take home hip 260.

After congratulating Payson on his way out of the pavillion, Voute said, “She's a beautiful filly. If we had bought her, we would have sent her to Andre Fabre in France, but we didn't so we will follow her over here. Mrs. Payson, I used to sell for her over in England, so I am delighted she got her.”

Payson was equally delighted with her purchase. She was all smiles when gathering with the media in the hallway to discuss her plans for her new additions.

“I have the family,” she proclaimed victoriously. “The front legs on [Summer Solo] were thick and short, short cannon bones. They were absolutely beautiful. I wrote buy in the catalog when I looked at the short yearling [Hip 230]. I was sort of iffy about the More Then Ready [Summer Sweet] because he is not very tall and my broodmare band is all short, but they have won a lot. I don't mind small, but when you are trying to sell out of small, the buyers don't like them. They like big, but I prefer the small ones.”

Payson added that she did not expect to pay quite so much, but that she has a “terrible habit” of not being able to stop when bidding on a horse she wants.

Summer Solo is out of one of Gerald Leigh's foundation mares Summer Solstice (Ire) (Caerleon), a French stakes winner who was recently retired from breeding. Winner of three of four starts and third in the 2014 GI Belmont Oaks for trainer Christophe Clement, she is a half-sister to SW Summer Breezing (Langfuhr) and SW and GSP Adirondack Summer (Thunder Gulch). Clement also trains her 3-year-old half-brother Summer Candy (Candy Ride {Arg}), who broke his maiden at Belmont in October.

Summer Sweet, the final foal out of Summer Solstice, was previously in training with Randy Bradshaw and will now head to the Clement barn.

“The 2-year-old is going to Christophe Clement immediately,” Payson remarked. “The short yearling is already on her way to Stone Farm and the mare will also go to Stone Farm. I am not keeping any mares [at Payson Stud] anymore because I only have four mares and now I have five. It doesn't make sense to run a whole farm for that few plus I think Arthur [Hancock] does a better job than I was doing. (chuckles)”

Sarah Whitney, executive administrator at Gerald Leigh's Eydon Hall Farm (click here for story on Eydon Hall Farm) for over 30 years, flew to Kentucky earlier this week to oversee the dispersal on behalf of the executors of Sarah Jane Leigh's estate. Beyond thrilled with the results of the sale, the English native was first in line to congratulate Payson on her purchases and offer her any assistance she could.

“It's unbelievable, a perfect result,” Whitney enthused. “Sarah and Mr. Leigh were looking down on us. It couldn't have gone any better. We are thrilled. The legacy will continue. The involvement with Christophe Clement, who has been an integral part of our training operation for a number of years, is also something to really look forward to. It's a dream, just a dream.”

– CDeBernardisTDN

Well-Bred War Front Colt Rings the 'Bell'

A well-related War Front colt, catalogued as hip 48, caused early fireworks when hammered down to Gatewood Bell for $450,000 during the first session of the Keeneland January sale Monday. Consigned by Bruce Gibbs's Greenfield Farm, the bay is one of two remaining horses from the dispersal of Jerre Paxton's Northwest Farms.

“I thought he'd make that much or else I wouldn't have bid that high,” said Bell, who is president of Cromwell Bloodstock Agency. “I bought it for a [domestic] client of mine that is not here. The plans are probably to race now. The plan was to race and then we thought maybe we could pinhook him. We may pinhook, but most likely the plan is to race him.”

Out of a half-sister to MGISW Exogenous (Unbridled), the yearling is himself a half-brother to the Bob Baffert-trained Super Ninety Nine (Pulpit), who captured the 2013 GIII Southwest S. and was third in that year's GI Santa Anita Derby. He is also a half to MSW Elusive Horizon (Elusive Quality).

“He has a lovely profile and he is going to grow into a nice horse, I think,” Bell offered. “He's a May foal and has a nice walk to him. I love May foals. Usually you get a little discount. I don't think we did on that one, but maybe. Time will tell.”

Gibbs, who has handled the sale of all of the horses in the Paxton dispersal, was happy with the price the colt brought.

“He had a slight x-ray issue that was worth the risk and this was right about what I thought he would bring,” Gibbs remarked. “If he was perfectly clean, he could have brought a little more, but I don't think it was a lot less.”

As for the dispersal as a whole, Gibbs said, “Overall, they were well received. There was a slight drawback to respect for the quality of Seattle black-type, but they were nice horses and did pretty well. I am very pleased and the estate is very pleased with them, too.”

The final horse from the Northwest Farms dispersal was an Algorithms filly, who sold as hip 105 to bloodstock agent Steve Young for $85,000 Monday. Hailing from the family of Paxton's MSW stable star Stopshoppingdebbie (Curlin), the yearling is out of the SP mare Kids Kooler (First Samurai). – CDeBernardisTDN

Bikini for WinStar

Paris Bikini (Bernardini) will be joining the WinStar Farm broodmare band after the farm's general manager David Hanley made the final bid of $425,000 to acquire the 4-year-old racing or broodmare prospect during Monday's first session of the Keeneland January sale.

“She's a beautiful mare and we were delighted to get her for that,” Hanley said after signing the ticket.

Bred and raced by Bobby Flay, Paris Bikini (hip 177) was on the board in three of eight starts with one win. She is a half-sister to Flay's graded stakes winner and multiple Grade I placed America (A.P. Indy). Her dam, Lacadena (Fasliyev), sold for $1.3 million while carrying a full-sibling to Paris Bikini at the 2015 Keeneland November sale.

“She is full of quality,” Hanley continued. “She will go to WinStar and we'll breed out of her. We haven't decided [who she will be bred to], but she fits all our good horses.”

Paris Bikini was consigned by Meg Levy's Bluewater Sales and Levy admitted the filly attracted plenty of potential bidders at the sales barn this past weekend.

“She is all class,” Levy said of the mare. “She's a very sexy filly, as her name suggests. She has it all physically and she's from a very deep family.” @JessMartiniTDN

My Limit to Castleton Lyons

Castleton Lyons's Jamie Frost, standing alongside the farm's Stuart Fitzgibbon out back, made the winning bid at $350,000 to secure My Limit (Wagon Limit), the dam of recent GI La Brea S. winner Birdatthewire (Summer Bird), during Monday's first session of the Keeneland January Sale. The 15-year-old mare (hip 163) sold in foal to Giant's Causeway.

“She's the dam of a Grade I winner and a very good filly,” Frost said of the mare's appeal.

Frost admitted the mare's age affected her final price.

“If she was a couple of years younger, she'd be worth a lot more money,” he said.

The stakes-placed My Limit, out of Piney Woods (Valid Appeal), received the most timely of updates when Birdatthewire got up for a late-running victory in the Dec. 26 La Brea. The filly also won last year's GII Forward Gal S. and GII Gulfstream Park Oaks.

Bill Murphy consigned My Limit on behalf of Ralph Kinder and Erv Woolsey.

“It all came into place at the right time, the timing was perfect,” Murphy said. “We are really happy with who bought her and we wish them the best of luck. She was limited to where she was going to go [price-wise] because of her age. If she was two years younger, she was going to get all the money. But the filly wins a Grade I on the 26th of December and then you take her back two weeks later and get $350,000. There is a lot of profit there.” @JessMartiniTDN

Another Homerun for Abraham

New Mexico-based breeder Mike Abraham enjoyed another standout sale at Keeneland Monday when hip 66, a filly by Malibu Moon, sold for $250,000 to Blue Sky Stables through the Bluewater Sales consignment. Abraham bred the yearling out of Funfair (More Than Ready), a stakes-winning mare he purchased for $19,000 at the 2013 Keeneland November Sale.

“I was very surprised to get that mare for that money at the time,” Abraham admitted Monday. “I actually didn't look at her beforehand and after I bought her, I ran down to make sure she had four legs.”

Of the choice of Malibu Moon for Funfair's first mating, Abraham said, “I stepped up and bred her to a high-dollar stud, but the nick was perfect. It has produced two graded stakes winners out of four or five chances. So it was a natural. And then we got lucky and had a beautiful filly and the rest is history.”

Hip 66 is bred on the same cross as graded stakes winning full-sisters Kauai Katie (Malibu Moon) and Winding Way, who are both out of the More Than Ready mare More Than Pretty.

The 6-year-old Funfair, who is currently in foal to Scat Daddy, could be making an appearance in a sales ring next month. She is catalogued as hip 431 at the Fasig-Tipton February sale.

“I'm not really wanting to sell her that much, but we put her in the sale after Scat Daddy died,” Abraham said. “So we'll see what happens. If we get a good shot, we'll take it.”

Abraham, whose business interests include real estate and the gas and oil industries, has an impressive record selling foals out of bargain mares. In 2011, he purchased the mare Issues (Awesome Again), in foal to Scat Daddy, for $25,000 out of the Keeneland November sale. Her Scat Daddy colt sold for $250,000 at the 2013 Keeneland September sale and her Lookin at Lucky colt brought $380,000 at that auction in 2014. The mare's Sky Mesa filly brought $150,000 as a weanling at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. A Scat Daddy filly out of Issues (hip 97) RNA'd for Abraham at $210,000 Monday.

Asked what he looks for in prospective broodmare purchases, Abraham said, “Typcially, performance, family, sire–the whole gamut. I look at everything. I like the nicking performance, looking for what someone has done before that has or hasn't worked. I follow that. Not necessarily religiously, but pretty close.”

Abraham, who has approximately 30 broodmares based in Kentucky, breeds primarily to sell. He will send seven yearlings through the Keeneland sales ring this week and he admitted the strength of the weanling market at the November sale encouraged him to enter the group.

“I was actually sorry they weren't in November because it was so strong,” he said. “So I thought we would try to sell some here. But again, not having to sell them. If they don't bring what we want, we always have September. We may pay a little bit in commissions if we don't sell them, but it's worth it to take the shot.” @JessMartiniTDN